Time to stand and stare

One of the wonderful things about being retired is to be able to take life slowly.  I don't mean that I drift about all day doing nothing. In fact I'm as busy as I was when I went out to work. I still have commitments, but I have the freedom now to choose how I spend most days. To take in and  enjoy all the little things in life is a great privilege.

There's a poem by William Henry Davies:

'What is this life if full of care 

we have no time to stand and stare'

And as I walk almost the same path each day I so much enjoy the changes I see along the way.

As I passed by the woods the other morning I could smell the wild garlic, which tempted me inside.There I found bluebells, buttercups and old tree stumps.  I was reminded of years ago when we used to walk here with our children and they always played on a massive old tree stump. I found the remains of it, much rotted down now but still there.  There was a little area with lots of old tree stumps and logs and I wondered if this was where my grandson and his school class go when they have their 'woodland classroom'.

Down the lane, where I walk several times a week, everything is changing. The hawthorn blossom is out, reminding me both of the hedges near my childhood home and of our first house when we were married where we planted a hawthorn hedge. I love the delicate scent of the blossom.

 The cow parsley is out too, there is a delicate airy fairyness to it which I love. I would like some in my garden.

'No time to stand beneath the boughs

and stare as long as sheep or cows'

The cows were out in the field being quite inquisitive as I passed by

'A poor life this if, full of care,

we have no time to stand and stare'

One year on

 

I realised the other day that it was a year last month since I retired from work, so I've been thinking back on the last year.

In the weeks leading up to my retirement, many of my work colleagues asked me what I was going to do with myself when I was no longer working.  I had lots of plans and projects in mind.  I was looking forward to having more time for the  garden and allotment. I was going to be looking after 2 of my grandchildren before and after school 3 days a week. I had hobbies which I'd not had much time for in recent years and wanted to take these up again, knitting, sewing, crafts, baking.  There was also the pastoral work which I am involved in at my local church.  That was enough to keep me busy for a while.

I worked for the NHS as a ward clerk on a busy orthopaedic ward. It was a very demanding and at times quite stressful job.  I was very well organised, in fact I was probably a bit of a control freak. But I really did love my job. When I went back a few months after finishing work to see my work colleagues, they were surprised when I said that I didn't miss work at all.

I was so glad to get away from that mad, manic busyness.  It was great to be able to relax and please myself what I did everyday.  I am still busy, but busy doing what I want to do.  There aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.  When I worked I often heard retired people say they didn't know how they had ever had the time to go out to work.  I now know what they mean by that.

I saw retirement as a new phase in my life, another role to take on, like starting a new job almost.  But doing what I wanted to do, not being bound by rules and regulations.  I'm still very organised,  having grandchildren commitments means I have to be and I love being involved in their lives.

As I look back on the past year  I can see how much I've achieved.

• I've lost weight and I'm more active now. I don't 'do' going to the gym--walking and gardening help me to keep fit.
• I've mastered  my camera and how to upload photos. I'm now sorting them out into folders. Still lots more work to be done there.
• I wanted to improve my writing skills. I've made  a start, here I am writing a blog.
• I've converted a spare bedroom into a craft room.
• I've had a massive paperwork clear out and reorganised our filing system for bills, statements, policies etc. There's still 2 bin bags of shreddings waiting to go on the compost heaps when there's more room.
• Done loads of knitting.
• Tackled a few new projects in the garden.

These are just a few of the things I've done this past year and there are still projects I'm wanting to get on with. Now maybe I'll start to make my plans for the  next year!